History
The multidisciplinary research group that would later become the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute was formed in 1983 following a national competition for funds provided by the Kahanoff Foundation of Calgary and administered by the Canadian Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis, now known as Crohn's and Colitis Canada. McMaster University and the University of Calgary were each the recipients of a one-time grant of $3.6 million to establish an Intestinal Disease Research Unit (IDRU) at each institution. The IDRU mandate was to develop an interactive multidisciplinary research group for the study of intestinal diseases, with special emphasis on inflammatory bowel disease.
From the outset, McMaster adopted an integrated multidisciplinary approach, with the involvement of basic scientists and clinician scientists from such diverse disciplines as immunology, physiology, electrophysiology and behaviour and encouraged a bench-to-bedside approach to its research. This was facilitated by the very close relationship between the IDRU and the clinical Division of Gastroenterology. A unique aspect of the IDRU was the physical proximity of the researchers; all research was initially performed in one large laboratory where cross-fertilization of ideas occurred and novel hypotheses were developed and tested.
At that time, the group consisted of five faculty members and was directed by Dr. Richard Hunt, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, from 1983 to 1984. The funds from the grant were used to support core activities and a central office, to purchase equipment for shared use and to bridge salary requirements for new recruits.
